Oui Oui Pareee!

Get ready for another Kirsti whirlwind month! I’ve got a lot going on…are you ready???

I got back from the States, immediately started classes and moved to a new flat that week. On top of that, I’ve noticed that jet lag knocks me OUT the week I go from US to London, so for 3 days I felt like I was sleeping til 11 am daily (which for me NEVER happens). Then my good friend from OSU – Christy – came in town for a week-long visit, AND my cousin Ryan overlapped with her for 24 hours last weekend. Needless to say, the weekend was a lot of visiting and coordinating!

Ryan and I were thankfully able to meet up for some pints, a walk along the Thames (one of my favorites) and then for a proper roast the next day!!!

Christy and I went to OSU together, studied abroad in Italy together, and both have followed similar career paths in advertising.  She lives in NYC, so over the years when I’ve travelled there for work, I’ve stayed with her, and met her friends (which is actually how I found the apartment I lived in the first half of this year). Her trip abroad was split between London and Paris where she was meeting up with some other friends who have moved there from NYC.  

We ALSO were celebrating Christy’s birthday and went to a crazy place called Tramshed with a huge "pickled" cow and rooster at the top of the restaurant. It was actually a piece by this famous artist Damien Hirst.

So where does Paris come in you ask? Well… to be honest Paris wasn’t high on my list of places to go while I lived here since I’ve been there before. I However when your friend comes in town, asks if you want to come with her to Paris, and allows you to crash with her for free….you don’t say no!!! J It’s not very often you can plan a “last minute trip to Paris” with a good friend!!! Too good to be true! Even better? We travelled by TRAIN – not plane – from St. Pancras Train station which is ONE stop from my house. It was the easiest travel day I’ve ever had. (Although it's worth noting here that on the return trip through the train station I was detailed by UK border control because they accused me of having an invalid Visa!!!!)

We stayed at a charming apartment, owned by a Parisian named Francois! MUCH better than staying in a small, cramped, over-priced hotel.

This was the courtyard of the apartment building we stayed in.

After spending 3 days there, I can say with confidence that my favorite things about Paris are:

1. The Food - The cheese, the crepes, the quiches! I was in food heaven! Every day we ate so much cheese and drank so much French wine I thought I had a food baby!
   
   
   
   
2. The architecture - Someone pointed out to me that because the buildings weren't bombed in WWII like London was, almost ALL of the buildings in Paris have retained their charm and history. It really is quite pretty to walk around. 
   
   
   
   

   

   Plus, look at how cool their Metro signs are?? It's like adult Disneyland signs!

3. The Eiffel Tower - Despite it's touristy-ness, it really is so cool!The first day we had a great Moroccan dinner. Apparently Moroccan food is pretty big in Paris, so we checked out a place recommended by Christy’s friend and coincidentally also ran into someone Christy knew from NYC!!!? What are the chances! We also walked along the river at night, saw the Eiffel Tower do it's **SPARKLE** and had chocolate and wine along the river. (So romantique!)

Day 2 was spent walking ALL over. We did a mix of the heavily touristy things and some off-the-beaten-path things.

Christy had heard great things about this famous cemetery – Pere Lachaise –so we trekked to the outskirts of the city to check it out. It looks like a mini city inside, and I have to say it was pretty cool.

Jim Morrison’s grave is also there – obviously a huge draw for the crowds. Apparently they had to change the setup because so many people were going there and doing drugs on his grave!

Then we attempted to go on a “romantic stroll” that our tourist book had suggested. We started with a big park – Jardin des Plantes. Interestingly, I’ve found as I travel that parks and gardens tend to be some of my favorite things in a city.

Then we admittedly got a bit too off-the-beaten-path. One of the tough things about going with the flow is that you don’t always know where you’re going, and sometimes you end up in whacko weird places.... however in our quest for the perfect brasserie to get our second round of cheese and champagne at, we stumbled upon...Notre Dame!!!

Gotta say, it may have been touristy and overpriced, but this cafe had the view and the food, so it was hard to beat!!

Then we popped into the cathedral, which still amazes me.

And after Notre Dame, we continued on to the Eiffel Tower to try to get a good view of it by day. We were pooped when we got there, ended up laying in the grass and having a mini photo shoot, haha.
All we were missing were the ingredients for a picnic!

That evening, we decided to stay out and "power through" which ended us up at a famous bar called Harry's NYC that claims to have invented the Bloody Mary, the French 75 and a slew of other cocktails! It was the wrong time of day for a bloody, but we definitely made a stop!

That evening we ended up sharing a Croque Monsieur at a local little cafe. It was perfect!

The next day was Friday, and it was my last day. We hit the Champs-Elysées in the late morning, and honestly.... I could've skipped it. 

I know that may be blasphemy to some...but, it's not my thing. However our LUNCH was.......

Nothing like having your final Parisian meal be a darn good soufflé!

We did one final walk around another set of parks .... and then I was off!

I was a bit jealous of Christy to have the weekend to relax a bit more, as well as hit some of the museums and the neighborhood of Montmarte...but I can't complain too much!

This week has been a MESS of crazy schedules, school work, flat drama (if you haven't already seen on Facebook), etc. However, I had to get this post up because tomorrow I depart for Lake Como!!!!!!!

Happy Thursday!!